Man Utd takeover delay blocking shock Potter move

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 25 May 2023 07:39 CDT
• 2 min read

Manchester United’s stalled takeover is preventing former Chelsea boss Graham Potter from getting back into management, according to a report.

Potter was sacked by the Blues in April after a wretched spell that barely lasted six months and saw the Stamford Bridge side founder in the middle of the Premier League table.

The 48-year-old, however, is the favourite to step into a new role at Ligue 1 side Nice, but the uncertainty at Man Utd has caused a delay in a deal being concluded.

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Nice owners INEOS, who are headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are interested in buying the Old Trafford side and are too preoccupied with this case to have progressed on Potter. Consequently, there is still some distance between the two parties, GFFN reports.

Potter, though, remains a figure who has been unanimously agreed as the right type to take over at the Allianz Arena. Among the other coaches in the conversation were Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and Lens’ Franck Haise, yet neither will be prised away from their current clubs after exceptional campaigns.

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Nice risk being trumped by Tottenham

These delays, though, mean that Nice’s prospects of landing Potter are diminishing, with other clubs taking an interest in the former Brighton and Swansea manager.

FootballTransfers understands that he is one of the names in the frame to take charge at Tottenham after they were rejected by Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot – although Brendan Rodgers has been offered the job. Should the Northern Irishman turn down the post, Potter and Luis Enrique are next in line.

Nevertheless, Nice have already held talks with Potter, who is happy to work with the backroom staff put together by new sporting director Florent Ghisolfi.

Should Ratcliffe be successful in his takeover at Man Utd, Nice could become a feeder club for the Old Trafford side, with the Premier League side sending their brightest talent to the south of France to act as a finishing school that would be overseen by Potter.